After two exciting years in academia, RiEcoLab has “graduated” as the project ends today, June 30th! We wish to congratulate this ambitious graduate on its amazing university journey and shed light on some of its great achievements.
But what achievements? What has RiEcoLab been doing this whole time?
Well, we’re glad you asked! This project has been a diligent student, working to revolutionise the way research and development are conducted in universities. During its academic journey, RiEcoLab has been developing a novel way of performing research and development, nurturing innovation and entrepreneurialism. The project has been studying and building a robust operational framework known as the Ecosystem Integration Labs (EILs). These labs, developed and implemented by participating universities, rely on existing infrastructures such as research support offices and technology transfer offices. Like a student tailoring their studies to their interests and strengths, each EIL is tailored to the specific needs and smart specialisation areas of the university, governing the focus of the envisioned spin-offs.
Ok, ok but what has RiEcoLab actually done? Let’s see the report card!
Theory is good, but practice is necessary and RiEcoLab’s academic journey had plenty of both! On the practical front, this scholarly project has successfully engaged top management and faculty members, integrating different guidelines and principles into the strategies of various units within the organisations. Additionally, the project team has been collaborating with external stakeholders, putting into practice the ideas and activities developed during the project. It’s a testament to the project’s real-world impact and its ability to forge meaningful connections beyond the academic realm.
One Ecosystem Integration Lab that passes with flying colours is the AgTech-EIL, established by RiEcoLab partner Yaşar Üniversitesi, that aims to become the most active innovation and entrepreneurship centre in the Aegean Region, focusing on agritech. It’s a success story that demonstrates the potential and effectiveness of the EILs in driving innovation in specific fields. But RiEcoLab is a straight-A student and has more achievements to share: The TEKMER National Accelerator Program, co-founded by one of the Ecosystem Integration Labs also made the grade. This program has recently received a grant from the Turkish government, further validating the impact and recognition that RiEcoLab has garnered.
So what now? No more RiEcoLab ?
As the project comes to its final lecture, we can’t help but draw upon the university experience to describe RiEcoLab’s remarkable journey. It has been the most diligent of students, equipping universities and higher education institutions with the necessary tools, knowledge, and resources to elevate research impact and commercialisation. The project will live on through its crowning achievement, the creation of the Ecosystem Integration Labs!
After having aced every single subject, the project is ready to spin-off: RiEcoLab’s long term vision is to establish a framework that ensures research outcomes are swiftly commercialised while engaging internal stakeholders like a study group on caffeine the night before the exam. We can’t possibly see how this overachiever of a project, that has graduated with honours, could ever get anything less than an A+ on this homework too.
So, as RiEcoLab prepares to toss its cap in the air and bid farewell to the hallowed halls of academia, we stand up and give it a standing ovation, ready to party like it’s graduation day!
We wish to thank all of RiEcoLab’s “professors” (our project partners) for their expertise, knowledge, and dedication that made this project into the star student it was:
RiEcoLab is funded under the EIT HEI Initiative Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education. This website was created and maintained with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the project partners and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
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